The present invention relates to the packaging of smoking articles. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of packaging smoking articles whereby the resultant packaged smoking articles comprise a volatile flavourant.
Smoking articles comprising volatile flavourant (s), for example menthol or peppermint, are well known within the tobacco industry. Thus, for example, the smoking articles may be mentholated cigarettes. Numerous methods are available for the incorporation of volatile flavourant in smoking articles. For example, during the manufacture of smoking articles, e.g. cigarettes, volatile flavourant may be added to the cut tobacco prior to transfer thereof to a continuous smoking material rod making machine, or volatile flavourant may be added to the smoking material rod, e.g. tobacco rod, during the manufacture thereof in the making machine. Alternatively, volatile flavourant can be added to filter rods of such smoking articles during filter manufacture on a filter making machine. However, application of volatile flavourant during the manufacture of smoking articles or parts thereof, is disadvantageous. For example, such application results in contamination of machinery used in the manufacture of smoking articles or parts thereof. The contamination effects moreover downstream machinery including so-called tipping machinery which tipping machinery is operable to interattach smoking material rods and filter rods. Furthermore, packaging machinery used in the packaging of such smoking articles is also likely to be contaminated with the volatile flavourant. Such contamination is extremely undesirable, as prior to such contaminated machinery being used in respect of smoking articles absent the volatile flavourant, the machinery must be decontaminated. Such decontamination is, of course, extremely laborious and time-consuming, and can result in extensive periods in which the machinery is unusable. In addition, if flavourant, for example menthol, is applied to the cigarette paper during manufacture of the smoking article, smoking articles comprising volatile flavourants applied in such a manner have a greater propensity to adhere each with the other during the transfer thereof from making machinery to packaging machinery. Such adherence tends to occur whilst smoking articles are held in reservoirs, which reservoirs are situated between the making machinery and the packaging machinery.
In order to attempt to overcome such long standing problems resulting from application of volatile flavourants during smoking article manufacture, application of the volatile flavourants to the packaging of smoking articles has been contemplated, the intention being that subsequent to the packaging operation volatile flavourant migrates to the smoking articles.
During the packaging of smoking articles, cigarettes for example, a pre-determined number of smoking articles are arranged in a manner, anxe2x80x9cassemblagexe2x80x9d, suitable for being packaged in a smoking article pack. Usually, the smoking article assemblage is then enwrapped in a so-called inner wrap, the inner wrap typically comprising paper having a metallic layer applied thereto, such paper being commonly known as foil or foil tissue in the tobacco industry. Immediately prior to the foil being enwrapped about the smoking articles, the foil is embossed for the purpose of rendering the foil more susceptible to being folded and to enhance the aesthetics of the foil. The assemblage is then transferred onto an unassembled smoking article pack. The foil is anchored to the rear panel of the pack by adhesive. If the pack is of the type commonly known as a hinged-lid pack, the pack at this stage typically takes the form of a flat blank and prior to assembly thereof an inner frame is positioned on the assemblage. Whereas if the pack is of the type commonly known as a soft-cup pack, the pack at this stage typically takes the form of a flat label. The pack is subsequently assembled about the assemblage; that is to say the pack blank/label is folded about the assemblage, such that the pack is maintained in its assembled form by relevant panels of the pack being inter adhered by means of adhesive. Subsequently, the pack may be hermetically sealed; for example a polypropylene outer wrap may be applied about the pack.
Heretofore, volatile flavourants have been applied to the inner wrap, see for example EP 0 531 221. However, application of volatile flavourants to the foil or other inner wrap has many disadvantages. The volatile flavourants are applied to the foil prior to the foil being presented to the smoking article packaging machine, i.e. off-line. Foil with volatile flavourants applied thereto must then be stored in a sealed environment at low temperature until such time as the treated foil is required for use on the smoking article packaging machine. Furthermore, the foil must then be allowed to return to ambient temperature over a period of 2-3 days prior to being suitable for use. As stated above, following upon presentation of the foil to a smoking article packaging machine, the foil is embossed. Embossing flavourant loaded foil results in a condition of the embossing rollers referred to asxe2x80x9cblindingxe2x80x9d. That is to say, the embossing surfaces of the embossing rollers become covered in flavourant residue and thus the quality of the embossing effected by the rollers decreases. In an attempt to overcome such blinding of the embossing rollers, resort has been had to the expedient of blowing hot air onto the embossing rollers in order that the residue thereon evaporates. However, such measures result in substantial losses of volatile flavourant.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of packaging smoking articles with the incorporation of volatile flavourant. It is a further object of the present invention to provide improved apparatus for packaging smoking articles with the incorporation of volatile flavourant.
The present invention provides a method of packaging smoking articles, wherein on a smoking article packaging machine, a pack is assembled about an assemblage of smoking articles, characterised in that prior to said pack having been fully assembled about said assemblage, volatile smoking article flavourant is applied at a surface, which surface is a surface within the fully assembled pack, whereby within the fully assembled pack volatilised the flavourant may migrate from the surface to the smoking articles.
The present invention further provides, in combination, a smoking article packaging machine and volatile flavourant application means, the smoking article packaging machine being operable to assemble a pack about an assemblage of smoking articles, and the volatile flavourant application means comprising nozzle means and being operable to supply volatile flavourant to and through the nozzle means at a surface prior to the pack having been fully assembled, which surface is a surface within the fully assembled pack.
Preferably, the surface to which the flavourant is applied is an inner surface of the fully assembled pack. Alternatively, the surface may, instead of being a surface of the pack, be a surface of a pack insert which is disposed within the fully assembled pack. Such pack inserts take the form of coupons, cards or similar sheet like items.
Preferably, the volatile smoking article flavourant is applied directly to the surface.
The assemblage of smoking articles suitably comprises a number of smoking articles arranged in a compact configuration. Preferably, the assemblage or a portion thereof is enwrapped in an inner wrap. The inner wrap layer is preferably, foil or paper.
Advantageously, when the assemblage is enwrapped in an inner wrap, the inner wrap is anchored to the pack by means of an adhesive.
Much by preference, if the surface to which the volatile flavourant is applied is a surface of the pack, the volatile smoking article flavourant is applied to the pack prior to the commencement of the assembly of the pack about the assemblage. In respect to packs of the hinged-lid type, these are normally formed from a single blank. However, as a person skilled in the art will be aware, the pack may be comprised of more than one blank. Suitably, the volatile flavourant may be applied to a pack blank prior to the assemblage of smoking articles being placed onto the blank. Alternatively, the volatile flavourant can be applied when the blank is partially assembled. Typically, and particularly in the case of hinged-lid packs, the assembled packs are rectilinear, having top, bottom, first and second side, front and rear walls. The volatile flavourant may be applied to the inside surface of one or more of these walls. Preferably, the volatile flavourant is applied to the portion of the pack that forms the inner surface of the rear wall of the assembled pack. Furthermore, by way of another alternative, the volatile flavourant may be applied in conjunction with, or may be incorporated into adhesive, which adhesive adheres, for example, the inner wrap to an inner surface of the pack. The assembled pack is secured by the application of seam adhesive along overlapping panels of the pack. By way of a further alternative, the volatile flavourant may be incorporated into the seam adhesive.
Typically, once the pack has been fully assembled, the pack is hermetically or substantially hermetically sealed, for example by way of a polypropylene overwrap being wrapped and sealed about the pack.
The volatile flavourant applied at the surface is in gaseous communication with the smoking articles packaged within the fully assembled pack. Thus during storage of the packaged smoking articles, the volatilised flavourant may migrate from the surface to which the flavourant has been applied to the smoking articles. When equilibrium is reached, the proportion of a volatile flavourant, for example menthol, will typically be about 10-15% by weight on the pack, or on the pack and the insert; and thus the proportion of the volatile flavourant in the smoking articles, e.g. cigarettes will typically be about 85-90% by weight.
The present invention has particular significance in respect to hinged-lid packs, soft-cup packs or shell-and-slide packs. However, the present invention may also be applicable to packs of the type known as either Laube or shoulder packs. In the case that the pack is a hinged-lid pack comprising an inner frame, the inner frame is considered, for the purposes of the present invention, as part of the pack and the volatile flavourant may thus be added to a surface of the inner frame during the assembly of the pack on the packaging machine.
Preferably, the volatile flavourant is menthol and/or peppermint. However, as a person skilled in the art will readily appreciate, the present invention is applicable with respect to any other suitable volatile flavourants.
As will also be appreciated, a flavourant used for the purposes of the present invention may be a multi-component composition, of which one or more components are substantially volatile and one or more of the components are of a lesser volatility or are non-volatile. For example, the multicomponent composition may comprise a flavourant and a carrier substance.
Suitably, the volatile flavourant is applied in a liquid or molten state. The concentration of such molten volatile flavourant, menthol for instance, may be 100%. Alternatively, the volatile flavourant may be applied in solution in a suitable solvent, for example an alcohol such as ethanol.
Suitably, the volatile flavourant application means forms part of the smoking article packaging machine or is located adjacent thereto.
As will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, the time elapsed between the application of the volatile flavourant on the surface and the completion of the pack assembly step should be short so as to avoid loss, or undue loss, of the flavourant by volatilisation before the assembly step has been completed.
During the application of the flavourant to the surface, the surface and the nozzle means of the application means are in relative movement or are relatively stationary.
The volatile flavourant may be applied at the surface in any suitable pattern. A suitable example is one or more lines.
Advantageously, either one or both of the smoking article packaging machine and the volatile flavourant application means comprises sensing means, which sensing means senses the relative disposition of the surface and of the nozzle means. The sensing means may be optical, mechanical or electrical sensing means. Alternatively, the sensing means may be separate from the packaging machine and the application means. The sensing means is advantageously in communication with the volatile flavourant application means, such that the supply of volatile flavourant to and/or through the nozzle means of the application means can be switched on or off by the sensing means.
Preferably, the application means further comprises supply means and/or reservoir means for the volatile flavourant. Supply means for flavourant suitably interconnects the nozzle means and reservoir means. Supply means and/or the nozzle means advantageously comprise valve means, needle valve means for example. The aforesaid sensing means suitably switches the supply of volatile flavourant to and/or through the nozzle means by controlling valve means in the supply means and/or the nozzle means.
The nozzle means may comprise one or more nozzles.
Preferably, one or more of the nozzle means, the supply means and the reservoir means is/are heatable.
Suitable application means is commercially available from, for example, C. B. Kaymich and Co. Limited of Sheffield, U. K. under model designation FDU3.
The mass loading per pack of the volatile flavourant, when the flavourant is formulated with a vehicle, can be regulated by changing the concentration of the volatile flavourant in relation to the vehicle. Regulation may also be effected whether or not a vehicle substance is present, by adjusting the flow rate per unit time of the flavourant through the nozzle means. If the flow rate is maintained constant, regulation may be effected by changing the duration of flavourant application.
By way of example, the loading of molten menthol, when menthol is the volatile flavourant, applied per smoking article pack for twenty smoking articles is suitably between about 30 to 120 mg. However, as a person skilled in the art will readily appreciate, lower or higher application levels may be applied depending upon the loading requirement of the smoking articles. Of course, a person skilled in the art would be capable of adjusting the applied loading of the volatile flavourant to provide smoking articles with the desired loads therein.